One little detail was holding electric car makers back. Now they’ve cracked the battery, the race is on

In a giant, echoing factory south of San Francisco, a small white board has
been set up on an easel, as a calendar. Day by day, a piece of red tape
inches across it from left to right, marking the date. There’s not much else
in the building yet — certainly nothing resembling an assembly line — but on
October 1 the red tape will reach a black dot and two brave words: “First
Auto”.

In an even bigger factory in suburban Tokyo, not too delayed by the Japanese
tsunami, perky little Leaf hatchbacks that will never emit a gram of carbon
are